A quantum key distribution routing scheme for hybrid-trusted QKD network system

• Published in: Quantum information processing Vol. 22; no. 1
• Main Authors: Chen, Li-Quan, Chen, Jing-Qi, Chen, Qian-Ye, Zhao, Yong-Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 19.01.2023
• Subjects: Data Structures and Information Theory; Mathematical Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Computing; Quantum Information Technology; Quantum Physics; Spintronics; Routing; Quantum key distribution; Software defined network; Hybrid-trusted
• ISSN: 1573-1332; 1573-1332
• DOI: 10.1007/s11128-022-03825-x

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an unconditionally secure technology that utilizes the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics and the "one-time pad" encryption. However, the high construction cost of the current QKD network (QKDN) results in limited application. Therefore, this paper takes the low-cost semi-trusted quantum nodes into consideration for low-security requests. The hybrid-trusted QKDN (HT-QKDN) consists of trusted nodes and semi-trusted nodes. To ensure security, we propose an HT-QKDN routing scheme. The scheme uses multi-path transmission to distribute quantum keys in a predetermined proportion via both trusted and hybrid-trusted paths. The trusted path is composed entirely of trusted nodes, while trusted nodes and semi-trusted nodes coexist on the hybrid-trusted path. The multi-path routing problem is considered as a k Max–Min problem. First, the multiple candidate paths with the lowest cost designed between the source and destination nodes are selected by the improved Yen’s algorithm. Then, the optimal paths are selected from the candidate paths using the greedy algorithm by load balancing and key resource consumption. The simulation results show that the HT-QKDN is feasible, and the proposed routing scheme has superior performance.